Friday, December 15, 2006

This month’s lyrics quiz has been culled from some of my favorite lines uttered this year and even expanded to thirty songs this month so I didn’t have to scale it down any. This doesn’t though reflect my upcoming Best Songs of 2006 that will arrive just after Christmas because I really hate publications that do their year in review in late November or early December thus missing an entire month of the year. For my full list of upcoming festivities, click on the Holiday Schedule on my sidebar. As for the lyrics quiz, leave your guesses in the comment section, both song title and artist. If you are correct, I will un-bold the lyric and give you credit. Just a little hint, the lyrics are in chronological order from when they were released so for the first couple think January while the last couple will be more recent songs. And though I disapprove of using search engines to find the answers, I don’t mind if you look around my archives as some of the lyrics have been mentioned on the 9th Green before typically in album review (click on the Terror Alert Scale link in my sidebar for those). Now on to the lyrics:

Hints:
13. The fifth single off the album that landed at number 2 of my Best Albums of 2005 list. The song also features a rapper that I made fun of multiple times this year for appearing on a Brooke Hogan song.

1. Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you. Only you can let it in. No one else can speak the words on your lips. (Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield; guessed by Dara)
2. You sing a sad song just to turn it around. You say you don’t know you tell me don’t lie. You work in a smile and go for a ride. (Bad Day - Daniel Powder; guessed by Dara)
3. I think I’ll start a new life. I think I’ll start it over where no one knows my name. Get out of California. Tired of the weather. I think I’ll get a lover and fly him out to Spain. (Boston - Augustana; guessed by Erica)
4. Gettin’ born in the state of Mississippi, papa was a copper and mama was a hippie. (Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers)
5. Where are you now? As I’m swimming through this stereo, I conduct a symphony of sound. (The Mixed Tape - Jack’s Mannequin; guessed by Russ)
6. Medals on a wooden mantle next to a handsome face that the president took for granted writing checks that others pay. (World Wide Suicide - Pearl Jam; guessed by Tiggerprr)
7. It’s alright, yeah I’ll be fine don't worry ‘bout this heart of mine. Just take your love and hit the road. (Leave the Pieces - The Wreckers; guessed by Tiggerprr)
8. Take on me (uh huh) you know inside you feel it right. Take me on; I could just die up in your arms tonight. (S.O.S. - Rihanna; guessed by Adilia)
9. I know you know I know so what's the point in being slow; let’s get the show on the road today. (Walk Away - Kelly Clarkson; guessed by Dara)
10. Who do you think you are? Ha, ha, ha, bless your soul. (Crazy - Gnarls Barkley; guessed by Dara)
11. Here face is the map of the world, is the map of the world. You can she she’s a beautiful girl, beautiful girl. (Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall; guessed by Dara)
12. It’s a sad, sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger. And how in the world can the words that I said send somebody so over the edge? (Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks; guessed by Dara)13. My car’s like the movie, my car’s like the crib. Got more TV’s in here than where I live.
14. I go back like when Pac carried crates for Humpty Hump. I need a whole club dizzy. Why the CIA wanna watch us? Colombians and Haitians, I ain’t guilty, it's a musical transaction. (Hips Don't Lie - Shakira and Wyclef Jean; guessed by Erica)
15. I got a (expletive deleted) like a donkey, (expletive deleted) as a rock and a trigger finger itchier than chicken pox. (Rollin' with Saget - Jamie Kennedy & Stu Stone; guessed by Erica)
16. If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied, illuminate the “no’s” on their vacancy signs. (I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie; guessed by Zorak163)
17. You expect me to just let you hit it, but would you still respect me if you get it? (Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado and Timbaland; guessed by Erica)
18. Step one you say we need to talk. He walks; you say, “sit down it's just a talk.” (How to Save a Life - The Fray; guessed by Dara)
19. I said he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus, he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus, but more than you’ll ever know. (When You Were Young - The Killers; guessed by Dara)
20. If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lay with me and just forget the world. (Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol; guessed by Dara)
21. Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider; tell the rambler, the gambler, the back-biter. (God's Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash; guessed by Erica)
22. This is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% consecrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain. (Remember the Name - Fort Minor; guesed by Doug)
23. Right now she’s probably up singing some white trash version of Shaniakaraoke. (Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood; guessed by Angie)
24. Couldn’t take the blame, sick with shame, must be exhausting to lose your own game. Selfishly hated no wonder you’re jaded, you can’t play the victim this time. (Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence; guessed by Erica)
25. MC Escher that's my favorite MC. Keep your 40 I'll just have an Earl Grey tea. My rims never spin to the contrary you’ll find they're quite stationary. (White and Nerdy - “Weird Al” Yankovic; guessed by Russ)
26. I was so lost back then but with a little help from my friends I found the light in the tunnel at the end. Now you call me up on the phone for a little whine and a moan it’s only because you’re feeling alone. (Smile - Lily Allen; guessed by Dara)
27. Now if we had the power to bring our neighbors home for war, they would never had missed Christmas, no more ribbons on their doors. (Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer; guessed by Erica)
28. If I had just one more day I would tell you how much that I've missed you since you've been away. Ooh, it’s dangerous, it's so out of line to try and turn back time. (Hurt - Christina Aguilera; guessed by Erica)
29. To the left, everything you own in the box to the left. You must not know ‘bout me. I can have another you in a minute, matter fact he'll be here in a minute. (Irreplaceable - Beyoncé; guessed by Erica)
30. I hear in my mind all these voices. I hear in my mind all these words. I hear in my mind all this music and it breaks my heart. (Fidelity - Regina Spektor; guessed by Dara)

Thursday, December 14, 2006

We have entered the best part of the holiday season. You most like finished your shopping about a week ago or won’t start for another week (I’m the latter) so this week is just sit back and enjoy the various parties. And best of all we are about a week out until the radio stations switch to the all Christmas music all the time format so this week you can still enjoy them when they occasionally come on. It’s surprising with her angelic voice Sarah McLachlan has yet to release a Christmas album until now with the recent release of Wintersong.

She doesn’t pull any punches and breaks out the big guns to open up the album by coving the John Lennon classic Happy Xmas (War Is Over) complete with children’s choir. (For a different version of the song check out the iTunes exclusive live version by The Fray.) And for anyone who caught McLachlan perform the song at the lighting of the Rockefeller tree did you find it interesting that they had her perform the song right after an interview with Billy Bush, George W’s nephew? But anyway.

Sarah doesn’t fall into the pitfall that some artists makes and only has one original song on the album, the title track. The album switches back and forth between secular (What Child Is This?) and non-secular (I’ll Be Home for Christmas) that should satisfy both the people that are in the pews every Sunday and those that only show up for Christmas and Easter. The album is highlighted by a moving version of Joni Mitchell’s River, not your traditional Christmas song, but it’s winter’s theme can hit close to anyone away from a loved one this holiday season.

If there were a negative remark about the album is that it didn’t include the great collaboration between Sarah and the Barenaked Ladies two years ago on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. But one Lady did make an appearance as Jim Creeggan and his double bass shows up throughout the album giving the album a jazzier feel than Sarah’s other work. Adding to the jazziness is Diana Krall who adds some piano to Christmas Time Is Here, a song you may remember from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Now it’s not really right to impose a Terror Alert tag to a Christmas album and nor really right to declare a Song to Download because you know most of the song already, but much like James Taylor last week one of Sarah McLaughlin’s Christmas songs is the Free Single of the Week. So if the banner at the bottom of the page still features her, you can click it ro open iTunes and pick up Silent Night for free.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Scooter’s Note: I wrote up the recap of the Family Television Awards last night but before I get to that I have a big announcement that I found out today: Veronica Mars is now available on iTunes. You can only download season three at the moment but you can buy the season pass for 34.99 and new episodes will automatically download the following day. So click the name and you will be taken to the Veronica Mars page in iTunes and even if you have seen all the episodes be sure to stop by and say how much you love the show and ask for the first two seasons. Now back to your regularly scheduled post.

Much like Pavlov’s Dog, last night I plopped down on my couch, turned on The CW for another round of witty banter of Veronica Mars. Only that witty banter was replace by cheesy award show banter of the Family Television Awards. Because what better time to show an award show for the family that after the kids should be in bed. The show was hosted by the dude from 7th Heaven and Haylie Duff, better known as Hilary’s sister. Actually she may be only known as Hilary’s sister. Oddly enough Veronica Mars, a show that has its fair share of rapes, murders, underage sex and drinking actually won an award. Here some other thought on the show (and please don’t ask why I continued to watch even after finding out there was no Veronica Mars):- Jennifer Love Hewitt won for Best Actress for her work on Ghost Whisperer. No seriously she won an acting award.

- Howie Mandel wins for Best Realty/Game Show Host for Deal or No Deal and was actually funny during his acceptance speech. I remember my parents telling tales when I was younger saying he was funny at on time, but it was weird seeing it for my self.

- Everybody Hates Chris wins for Best Comedy. And really who wouldn’t want their kids to learn a new racial slur every episode (that’s why I watch). Sadly Chris Rock didn’t show up.

- Ugly Betty wins two awards; the show took home Best New Show while the ugly chick also won something I think it was the Best New Actress.

- Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni win for Best Parent/Kid Combo or something leading to the best part of the night where Colantoni takes off his jacket and drapes it on the stair for Kristen. Classy. And then during the acceptance speech Enrico reminds Kristen that he’s not her dad in real life. Good clean family fun.

- The guy who plays Monk wins Best Actor but is home sick. Judd Hirsh had some good laughs pointing out that the guy who plays the germ-a-phobe Monk was sick.

- High School Musical wins for Best Movie/Musical. I still have yet to see it for fear that Chris Hansen may show up if I do.

- Numbers wins for Best Drama. Never seen it.

- The Ron Clark Story wins for Best Movie/Drama and the award is appropriately picked up by Ron Clark. For those that missed it’s the real story of a teacher who leaves his cushy suburban teaching job to teach at a school in Harlem. The movie stared Chandler Bing (is it too soon to start calling him Matt Albi?).

- The show ends with Dancing with C-Listers wining Best Reality Show. Really chicks wearing next to nothing and prone to wardrobe malfunction while being groped by dudes is considered family friendly?

And for all you conspiracy theorists who think The CW is anti-Veronica Mars by pre-empting the show yesterday as well as next week for the Victoria Secrets Fashion Show keep in mind The CW may gave exchanged showing the awards if they gave an award to Veronica Mars even though, let’s face it, it’s not all that family friendly and my theory is a little bolstered by the facy the award they won was nowhere to be seen in the press release the family council sent out for the awards. Also there that breaking news with the show being one of only two shows from the network on iTunes. Personally I’m pretty confident on a fourth season.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Long time readers know my dislike of the national karaoke contest that is called American Idol. The show is usually loaded with singers who are not good enough to land a record contract without going on a reality show singing songs that are not all that good to begin with. And to back up my theory is that aside from original idol Kelly Clarkson none of the winners have really lived up to the moniker (granted Carrie Underwood found a niche fan base) when thirty million people watch the show yet they barely go platinum. But anyways.

The latest, and most surprising karaoke winner went to Taylor Hicks, a guy so old he actually older than me, and let be honest, if you are older than me, you by definition cannot be an idol. Even though I avoid the show like the plague, it’s very hard to avoid updates and people talking ad nausea about the show and whenever I saw Hicks was still in the running I would think to myself, Him? Seriously?” I always thought him staying in the competition was like back in high school where you vote the kid from the “special” classes to win the talent show just to make him feel good. But apparently a whole nation felt bad for him leading to the worst winning song in American Karaoke history, Do I Make You Proud? To answer the question, no. In fact “Weird Al” Yankovic asked a better question, Do I Creep You Out? And to that a resounding yes.

And so just like all the previous Karaoke winners, a rush was put on to get his debut album out before Christmas, and like previous albums, the rush shows. The album is chalk full of bland pop songs that aren’t helped by Hick’s who sounds like Michael McDonald if Michael McDonald actually sounded white. Just for good measure they even throw in the prerequisite Diane Warren song (Places I’ve Been). And if you think Hick pseudo-blue-eyed-soul is cheesy, wait until you hear him try to croon a balled. Also helping out Hicks is Rob Thomas (no not the guy behind Veronica Mars) who penned Dream Myself Awake, as well as an unreleased Bryan Adams tune, The Right Place. Hick even dusts off two songs he wrote for an earlier album (wait a minute, I thought American Karaoke was an amateur competition, how does he already have an album?).

One of the reason former contestant fail is most likely because your normal viewer much prefers their karaokers to sing other people’s songs instead of creating their own. Hicks alleviates that problem a little by adding a cover of Marvin Gaye’s Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home). And he also rips off samples Ray Charles What I’d Say on Heaven Knows. But when it comes down to it, the album is one of those after a half an hour you realize, “what that’s still on, I totally forgot I was listing to it,” the album is that boring. And being mediocre is actually worse that being bad. Say what you want about Paris Hilton (and I said a lot during her review: Since I'm Already Screwed Here's Message to You), but she managed to make the worst album of the year and there is something novel in that. Anyone can be mediocre like Hicks and the other Karaokers, but it takes a lot of talent (or in this case extreme lack of it) to be the worst of the worst.

Oh and if I were Snow Patrol, I’d look into copyright infringement for Hicks obsessive use of the similarly sounding silly catchphrase. Well maybe wait to see how the Mariah Carey/Mary Carey lawsuit turns our.

Monday, December 11, 2006

It seems like every other week this past year I have reviewed the latest R&B album and decried how the songs have become overrun by hip-hop inspired beats and how the genre has transformed from great “baby making” music to “find a random drunk chick on Spring Break and do things that would embarrass your momma” music. When I talk about the good ol’ “baby making” era I usually bring up one of the last of its kind, Brian McKnight. Some may be surprised to know that McKnight has made three albums since Back at One including last year’s stellar Gemini. And now he’s back with his latest album, Ten.

Like previous album McKnight does most of the writing and producing on the album but did turn over four tracks to the production team Tim & Bob, the guys behind the Thong Song (no pun intended, okay maybe it was intended) to mixed results. On the opener Used to Be My Girl, the duo brings some soft Indian vibe over the silky track. But Unhappy without You just falls flat mostly because the amount the title is repeated throughout the song, yet not as annoying as the every other second repeat of the title’s name in What’s My Name. Bryan Michael Cox, fresh of his Grammy nomination for Be without You by Mary J. Blige, also contributes the decent track Comfortable.

But McKnight is best when he does it himself aside from the What’s My Name misstep. Find Myself in You is the definition of a “baby making” song straight from the Marvin Gaye era. McKnight even broadens his perspective on the album writing a country song Red, White, and Blue and even brings in Rascal Flatts to help him out on the heartbreaking song seen through the eyes of a military man. Before you scratch your head, there was a time where this wasn’t so uncommon and you could see Kenny Rogers on the R&B charts with Lionel Ritchie penned songs and Ray Charles even recorded a country album. But I don't think that it will come back in style anytime soon so don't hold your breath from a Ciara/Gretchen Wilson collaboration.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.

A couple days ago I wrote about The Killers holiday song that benefits the Red Foundation and here’s a video. Yeah the boys are from Vegas and may have never witnessed a white Christmas but could it hurt them to break out a snow machine for the outdoor short. Although maybe it’s some artistic statement considering the Red Foundation works with AIDS in Africa and a wise man once said, “There won’t snow in Africa this Christmas time.” (So tonight thank God it’s them instead of you.)

Not necessarily a Christmas song but the video is very wintry, and the song itself shouldn’t be confused with the Nirvana song, instead it is Evanescence’s My Immortal for this album (but not as good). Of course this video only builds on Amy Lee’s Hottest Goth Ever title. I don't think there is even a second place.

Scouring the last twelve month’s rap releases you don’t need one of the greatest MC’s to tell you that Hip Hop is dead. Even the high profile Jay-Z album was a let down. Hopefully the truly saved the best for last as the album by the same name will be released at the end of the month and will most likely be my last album review of 2006. As for the song, forget the Iron Butterfly sample, the song is at its best when Nas is rapping over the “hip hop” chant.

Okay so the song isn’t as catchy as 1 Thing but the latest outing from Amerie should keep you warm over the winter months. As for the video, I’m not entirely sure what exactly is going on; something about a senator and a photoshoot that are somehow connected? Not that I really care about the plot because she is purty looking.